Vidarbha needs to be patient, says Montek

NAGPUR: Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Saturday said the Vidarbha region has failed to keep pace with development in the rest of the country.

Speaking to TOI, he said, "I won't use the word backward because we do not believe in that concept. But, yes, Vidarbha is clearly lagging behind the rest of Maharashtra." He was in Nagpur to speak on 'Growing disparity despite growing GDP'.

"He urged the people in Vidarbha to be patient to fully realize the benefits of central government schemes. "In five years you may see some benefits probably, but it is only after a decade that the effects of the scheme are fully known," he said. But President of Vidarbha Economic Development Council Vilas Kale was not impressed. "I told Ahluwalia that Vidarbha has waited for 50 years. Ever since we were merged with Maharashtra, this region has lagged behind," he said.